Gaming laptop for Sims 4 with all packs

You can look at the Dell website and look at the gaming laptops. I have one, but most gaming laptops that will do as you described you want cost closer to $1500 to $2000. They may have year old models that could work and the normally have sales.

b059f46c3de0e53c​  There are plenty of laptops under $1,000 U.S. that can run Sims 4 on ultra graphics settings with some room to spare.  The graphics card is going to be the limiting factor, and most mods have no effect on graphics, instead taxing the processor (if they increase the demands of the game at all).  Custom content may increase the demands of the game, depending on how it's made, but you should still be fine on that front with an RTX 4050.

If you want more CPU power for other reasons, the Intel Ultra 5 225H (what a name.....) and Ryzen 7 8845HS are about as fast as you're going to see in reasonably-priced laptops, with the higher SKUs only showing up with faster GPUs, at least as far as I've seen and am seeing now.  This is the only laptop I found with Intel CPU for under $1,000, in configurations with an RTX 4050 and 5050:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-16-inch-gaming-laptop-pc-a58a5av-1
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/omen-16-inch-gaming-laptop-pc-a59p7av-1

The laptop won't ship for four weeks though since it's custom-built.  If you do go this route, it's worth considering an upgrade to the screen for the 400-nit brightness ($70), although if you play in a darkened room, you may not care at all.  If you want more RAM, buy and add it yourself for $80 or whatever price you can find rather than paying $260.

If you'd like the laptop sooner, or don't want the Omen for one reason or another, these have an 8845HS and the (barely faster) 8945HS, respectively, and an RTX 4060, so you'd get a bump on both counts above most of what else is available for under $1,000.

https://www.newegg.com/p/2S3-0008-006C4
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834156648

The MSI would run hotter and noisier, in case that's a consideration.

If none of these is what you want, let me know why, and I'll list some laptops that fit your needs better.  They'd have another small downgrade to the CPU, at least given what's available right now, but you'd still have plenty of power, just not quite as much as with the above.

Prov31Simmer​ b059f46c3de0e53c​ You are right about the cost. I bought an HP Omen laptop for around 2000 and it was a good little machine but the games I play and Sims 4 would have it throwing a lot of heat. I even bought one of those cooling fans that you sit the laptop on to try and help keep it cool bc we all know that heat can kill a video card faster than anything. I had never tried gaming on a laptop before so the experience was not ideal for me so I sold the laptop and bought an Omen desktop and I am thrilled with it. However it cost me quite a lot more than the laptop did but I am sure there are cheaper models. I tend to max out everything I can for longevity.  Unless you absolutely have to have a laptop, I would recommend going with a desktop because it is easier to keep it cool and definitely way less noisy. As a rule of thumb for me personally, I never consider anything costing below 1300 whether it is laptop or desktop because there is one thing true in life and that is that you get what you pay for. Whatever you decide, test it out within your return window (which is usually pretty short time) and make sure you're happy with it. Also remember if you decide to return one, many places charge a restocking fee so the refund won't be the full amount you paid. I learned that the hard way. Sorry for adding more than you asked for but I hate to see anyone shocked like I was. Anyway, it is all a personal choice and what you can afford but saving up that extra 500 to be able to spend on it would help get a way better device. Trying to decide on a new computer really is a form of personal torture lol. Puzzleaddict's recommendations look pretty solid for the price points for sure. Why does it seem the prices are better when I am not the one looking to buy grrr. Anyhow, I wish you the best with your decision! 

Nightgypsy​ puzzlezaddict​ Prov31Simmer​ thanks yall. appreciate the advice!

I have a mac desktop that's working pretty well but my laptop is about to be toast so i'm looking to replace specifically. my mac is an oldie so the sims takes up most of the available ssd after years of updates, so i'm looking to retire it into other things and move my sims over to something with more space. definitely will need to replace the desktop setup in the next 5ish years or so, but putting it off as long as I can. 

any advice on something running cooler in the 1500 range? 

b059f46c3de0e53c​  The laptops that I listed that are not the MSI should be fine, not too hot in general.  Laptop cooling has gotten a lot better in the last decade or so, but it's not equally better across the board, and some older information and horror stories persist.

Additionally, AMD laptop CPUs and the newest Intel CPUs (the 225H model as an example) use significantly less energy than past generations and therefore put off a lot less heat.  The GPU isn't as much of an issue in this tier of performance.  It would be a different question if you were looking at, for example, an RTX 4080, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

The fact is that any laptop is designed to keep hardware temperatures in the safe range.  Different models do that in different ways, for example some throttle performance sooner than others, some run fans at higher speeds earlier than others, and some have fans that are simply louder, because quality fans that are also quiet cost money.  (Apple is still the gold standard here, with the prices to match.)

I really don't think you need to get anything more powerful than what I've linked.  But if you really do want to talk about higher-end models, at least in terms of cooling, I can post some suggestions of those too.

I think they will be fairly comparable in the same price range. Just be a matter of who will offer you the best specs for that price. I was kind of looking, and of course I am partial to HP bc they've always done me right, and I noticed they have an insurance type plan for like 12,00 a month. I didn't dig in to see what it covered but if it covers the graphics card and everything else decently, that would definitely sway me to another omen laptop. the one I had was fantastic on all the games I tried it on and sizeable enough at 17". I sold it and got the desktop bc I use a 65" 4k tv as a monitor atm. So my tv is on one side of the room and I have a couch on the other side. wireless keyboard and mouse. I initially did this set up bc I worked from home and decided to work in comfort rather than be cramped up sitting at a desk all of the time. Plus my dog gets to sit on the couch beside me lol. Anyway, when I got the laptop I hadn't thought out how I was going to set it up. It was too awkward to put where my desktop had been because of opening and closing it. I have cats and was worried they'd jump on it and I'd end up with a mess, then the cords, hdmi and ethernet having to plug those in and unplug them every time got old. So with all that I just decided that a laptop cannot replace a desktop for me. if I ever get another laptop it will be for doing stuff on the go, not for gaming.  

As for your mac, have you considered getting an external hard drive and moving stuff off of it? If it was within your budget you could even buy an external ssd  drive and there is a way to run your mac completely from that. If you're thinking your mac has five more years left in it, then it might be worth the investment. You can find Apple Support articles online or even call them to walk you through the process. It is like one of the most exciting times getting a new computer and I am very excited for you and want you to have it all lol. 

With that said, Puzzleaddict and Prov31Simmer will probably do better on any further advice to help you narrow it down, but I am sure whichever you decide, you still will need the cooling fan device to sit it on to keep it elevated so air can get to the vents on the bottom. 

Do post back and keep updated as I would love to hear what you finally get and how it works out. You can send me a mail too if we are not supposed to yap in here :)

Nightgypsy​ puzzlezaddict​ 

Thank you both! Going to continue my search with your advice in mind and continue saving as well. I'll keep ya updated, Nightgyspy :) and will look into Mac enhancements too, definitely want to keep it up and running as long as I can.. I have attachment issues. 

I can mark as resolved, if that's the right etiquette? Appreciate you both again! 

(I also choose to work from home on my couch so I can sit with my dog :P) 

b059f46c3de0e53c​  Marking as resolved is helpful when someone else could use the information, in that the relevant info is highlighted.  It's not necessarily going to make a difference with this kind of question since recommendations can change quickly.  So you can do so, or not, as you choose.  You can also wait to see whether you have more questions at some point and want to come back to the thread.

I understand the attraction of working from home with a furry companion—I love sitting in bed with my laptop and my cat.  My cat is not nearly as much of a fan though.

hey yall, I'm back with saved money and a little holiday help. 

puzzlezaddict​ Nightgypsy​

I'm now looking for something with a little more oomph as I head into school for game dev this spring. 

I'm seeing super mixed reviews for Intel Ultra 5 vs 7 - but I think I've landed on i7 being the superior choice, but not by far. 

However, with the Omen puzzlezaddict recommended, they have Intel Ultra 5 RTX 5060 and Intel Ultra 7 RTX 5050. And I see some people saying the GPU significantly outweighs the CPU in this instance, and to go with the Intel Ultra 5 RTX 5060. 

Do yall have any advice? I feel pretty good about the Intel Ultra 5 RTX 5060 and can afford the extra 70$ for that bump up along with the display upgrade. But I want to make the best decision for longevity and heavy use and I've appreciated the advice here :)  

b059f46c3de0e53c​  Sims 4 will easily run on ultra settings with either processor and either graphics card, so you don't need to worry about this decision from that perspective.

Do you have any idea what kinds of loads your school program will require of your laptop?  Compiling code is CPU-heavy and doesn't involve the GPU at all, but of course graphics rendering is a whole other matter.  If you're not sure, the programs you'll be expected to use should give you a good idea.  The point is, you may find that it's better to select the faster CPU for the work you'll be doing, or maybe that won't matter so much but you'll need the extra GPU power.

Having said that, school workloads aren't necessarily all that heavy, so I wouldn't expect this to be a critical decision until you actually have a job in the field.  It's just something to consider.